


Blood of Soldiers

by HunterusHeroicus93



Category: Alex Rider - Anthony Horowitz
Genre: Explosions, Gen, Mild Blood/Gore, Mild Language, Rescue Missions, Whump, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 06:16:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20869559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HunterusHeroicus93/pseuds/HunterusHeroicus93
Summary: Alex and half of K-Unit embark on a rescue mission that doesn't quite go to plan.





	Blood of Soldiers

**Author's Note:**

> Whumptober 2019, prompt #2. Explosions.
> 
> Edited as usual by my lifesaver, ThatOneWriter15. Don't know what I'd do without her. <3

Alex began to panic. The mission had gone sideways fast, and he had no idea what to do. He ducked as another bullet flew over his head, shattering the window behind him.  
  
“Snake!” he called, looking around. “Eagle!”  
  
No answer, but then, he wasn’t expecting one, really. He hoped someone would come and find him soon. Keeping low, he crept around the side of the building and found a door that had been torn apart by the gunfire. He pushed it open, and looked inside. Empty. He went in. He spotted a staircase leading downwards and he sped over to it, peering into total darkness.  
  
_ Shit, _ he thought. _ Are they down there? _  
  
Taking a deep breath, he spread his arms out until they touched the walls, and felt his way downwards carefully. As he neared the bottom, he heard movement. Quiet moans met his ears. He stopped on the last step, listening.  
  
“Snake, Eagle, is that you?” he whispered.  
  
“_Cub?! _ What the hell are you doing here?” Snake said incredulously.  
  
“Rescuing you, obviously,” Alex chuckled. “Where are you? I can’t see a thing.”  
  
“There’s a light switch on the wall near the stairs.”  
  
Alex felt around, and a few moments later, the light flicked on.  
  
Snake hissed and shut his eyes at the sudden brightness. He squinted at Alex.  
  
“Jesus, you look awful,” he whispered. “What’s going on up there?”  
  
“We were ambushed. This place was supposed to be empty. It should have been easy, but…”  
  
Snake nodded. “It’s never that easy, Cub.”  
  
Alex pulled out his knife and cut Snake free. Snake rubbed his wrists, and turned to Eagle.  
  
“What happened to him?” Alex asked.  
  
“He got mouthy.”  
  
Alex sighed. “Of course.” He knelt beside Eagle and rolled him onto his back. His left eye was swollen and bloody, and his nose looked broken.  
  
“Help me get him up,” Alex said. He pulled Eagle’s arm around his shoulders, and Snake did the same on his other side, and they heaved him to his feet. Eagle swayed, and Snake put a hand on his chest to steady him. Slowly, they pulled him towards the staircase and helped him up. Eventually, they made it to the top. Alex let go and headed to the door. He looked around the corner, then ducked back in as someone ran past. He waited to see if anyone followed, but no one did. He looked out again, then turned back to Snake.  
  
“It looks clear. We’ll go around the back. There should be a chopper waiting for us.”  
  
Snake nodded, and adjusted his grip on Eagle.  
  
“Come on, Eagle. You gotta help us.”  
  
Eagle groaned, and lifted his head slightly. He shuffled forwards, leaning into Snake for support. Alex waited, then went ahead of them, making sure they didn’t meet anyone on the way. He wasn’t sure what he would do if they did, but he hoped he would be able to at least distract them while Snake and Eagle got out safely.  
  
Soon, the helicopter came into view. Alex felt relief, but he knew it wasn’t over yet. He was about to take a step forward, when movement ahead of him made him stop. He held out a hand to Snake. Someone stumbled towards him. Alex held his breath. The figure stopped and cocked his head at them.  
  
“Holy shit, Cub, you scared the hell outta me!”  
  
“Wolf!” Alex said, relaxing. “Thank God. I found them.” He nodded towards the others.  
  
“Good job, Cub. I’ll take the lead.” Wolf patted his rifle, and Alex nodded.  
  
With Wolf ahead of them, Alex grew more hopeful that they would make it. He gripped Eagle tighter and pushed him on.  
  
As they walked, something dawned on Alex.  
  
“Wolf…” he said slowly. “Where’s Fox?”  
  
Wolf faltered, but didn’t answer. He continued steadily, gripping the gun harder than necessary. Alex exchanged a look with Snake, and they followed in silence.  
  
Wolf suddenly stopped. He seemed to be watching something. Alex held his breath, waiting. Three figures were hovering near the helicopter. Wolf raised his rifle and aimed it.  
  
“Hey!” he shouted. One of the figures turned, motioned to the others, and aimed a rifle back at Wolf. The others did the same.  
  
“Shit,” Snake muttered.  
  
“S’appening?” Eagle asked.  
  
“I don’t know,” Snake whispered.  
  
The one who seemed to be in charge yelled something Alex couldn’t hear, but Wolf growled in response.  
  
“You’ll have to kill us first!” he shouted back.  
  
“Wolf!” Alex hissed. “What’s happening?”  
  
“They want Snake and Eagle back.”  
  
Alex paled, and held Eagle tightly. “They’re not getting them.”  
  
“I know, Cub. Don’t worry.”  
  
Wolf took aim, and fired. One of the men dropped instantly. The other made to fire back, but he was stopped by the leader. Evidently, they wanted Snake and Eagle alive.  
  
The leader dropped his gun and held up his hands. The other soldier did the same. Wolf kept his gun on them and slowly made his way forward. He stopped a foot away from them. After a short, inaudible conversation, he forced the men away from the helicopter. They sped up once they were safely out of Wolf’s firing range, and disappeared into the darkness.  
  
“Cub! Snake! Bring Eagle over here!” Wolf called.  
  
They started towards Wolf with renewed strength and determination. Eagle stumbled once, but they held, and almost made it to the helicopter.  
  
A sudden, deafening explosion forced them to the ground. Shrapnel and fragments of metal rained down on them, leaving behind cuts and bruises.  
  
The chaos subsided, and Alex slowly looked up. An inferno blazed where the helicopter had been, and Wolf was nowhere in sight.  
  
“No!” Alex yelled. “Wolf!” He turned to Snake and Eagle. Snake was unconscious. Eagle lay on his back, groaning softly.  
  
“Eagle, are you okay?” Alex asked.  
  
Eagle nodded slightly, and tried to push himself up. Pain shot through his arm, and he fell back, shaking his head.  
  
Alex crawled over to Snake and nudged him.  
  
“Snake, wake up.” He shook him harder. Snake stirred.  
  
“Cub? What happened?” He raised a hand to his forehead. Blood poured from a deep gash above his eye.  
  
“They blew up the helicopter.”  
  
“Shit.” Snake’s eyes widened. “Wolf?”  
  
Alex shook his head. “He was standing right in front of it. I don’t think he got away.”  
  
“Dammit!” Snake pounded the ground with his fist. Alex lay still, in shock, while Snake roared his fury and grief.  
  
Snake yelled until his throat was hoarse, then collapsed to the ground, sobbing.  
  
“Snake, come on. We’ve gotta get out of here.” Alex pulled at his arm. Snake looked up at him.  
  
“How? We have no way out.”  
  
“I’ll call MI6; they’ll send someone. But we have to get somewhere safe.”  
  
Snake nodded, and hauled himself to his feet, then pulled Eagle up. Eagle seemed stronger, and he was able to walk mostly by himself. Alex was thankful for that. He barely had the strength to carry himself now. Snake put one arm around Eagle’s waist, and they looked around for somewhere to wait for help. Alex spotted a small shed at the back of the building, and pointed towards it.  
  
“There.”  
  
They made their way towards it, and Alex looked inside. It was cramped, but they could fit. They squeezed inside, shutting the door just enough that no one would see them if they passed. Snake helped Eagle sit down on a crate, then leaned against the wall, breathing hard.  
  
“How will you get in touch with them? I don’t see anywhere for you to keep a phone.”  
  
Alex held up his wrist. “Smithers gave me this watch a while ago. Shatter-proof, built-in GPS, tracker, and SOS signal.” He pressed a small button on the side. The watch beeped twice, then fell silent.  
  
“Is that it?” Snake asked, looking unconvinced.  
  
“Yeah. Someone will get our distress call, trace the location, and they’ll be here within the hour.”  
  
“Good.” He closed his eyes, listening to the shouts of people looking for their escaped hostages. Alex shivered, hoping no one would think to look inside the shed. He thought about Fox and Wolf, and a tear slipped quietly down his cheek. He had lost so many people during his time with MI6, and even before that. Family, friends, and some who were somewhere in between.  
  
More explosions and gunfire distracted him from his thoughts.  
  
“They’re here,” he said to Snake. “Get ready.”  
  
Snake put a hand on Eagle’s shoulder and squeezed gently.  
  
The noise stopped, and Alex stiffened as footsteps came towards the shed and stopped outside. The door was wrenched open. Two soldiers stood there, rifles aimed directly at the three of them. They quickly assessed the scene, then lowered their weapons. Alex relaxed. One spoke into his radio, informing his commanding officer that the missing soldiers had been found. Alex stepped outside, Snake and Eagle following closely behind him. The soldiers flanked them all the way to a second helicopter, just in case of another ambush, but they met no one besides their own men.  
  
As Alex settled into a seat and fastened his belt, the night’s events seemed to wash over him all at once. Snake sat beside him, and Eagle opposite. Eagle studied Alex through his good eye.  
  
“Thanks, Cub,” he said hoarsely. Alex nodded, too tired to speak. Snake put an arm around him, and he leaned into the medic. Exhaustion took over them then, and they slept soundly as they took off and made their way home.


End file.
